Purdue kicks off commencement weekend

Purdue University graduates decorate their mortar boards Friday for the spring commencement ceremonies at the Elliot Hall of Music on campus in West Lafayette. This was the first of six garduation ceremonies over the weekend.
(Photo:
Michael Heinz/Journal & Courier
)Buy Photo

In the first of six commencement ceremonies to be held this weekend, Purdue University honored 709 graduates Friday night from the colleges of Liberal Arts and Education.

Those who participated were among more than 5,200 to earn degrees this spring, according to the Office of the Registrar.

University President Mitch Daniels gave the key address during which he told graduates there's something significant about 2014.

History has shown, he said, that 1814 and 1914 brought "monumental and unforeseen change" with them. Citing history's propensity to repeat itself, Daniels told the class of 2014 that they should be poised to capitalize on another such cataclysmic shift from one era to the next.

Dan Berger, pastor of First United Methodist Church, led a moment of reflection. He said Purdue graduates have collected tools that they'll use throughout the rest of their lives but that a diploma shouldn't punctuate one's education.

"There's something more for you to learn tomorrow," he said.

Ciara Carter, who graduated Friday with a bachelor's degree in education, responded on behalf of her peers. She delivered a speech congratulating her peers but also challenging them to be "superheroes" for the broader communities in which they settle.

"Use your education and use your unique gifts," she said, "to make a difference in the world."

This new cohort of graduates joins the more than 450,000 who've matriculated from the university, according to the Purdue Alumni Association.

Mingjian Cui, who came from southern China to study mass communication, said the relationships she's built with friends and professors will stay with her. She called those connections "the treasure of life."

Nick Rissler earned a bachelor's in Spanish education. He said he considered several schools in Illinois and Indiana but that Purdue stood out.

"They really embraced me as a student, and I thought I'd be able to thrive here even though it's not a liberal arts college," he said. "Four years later, I don't regret my decision at all."